Pearl Drops: The Lioness Mask
by ashehole
Summary: The newest generation: Torrence, the Princess. Auriella, the Siren. Hailley, the Warrior. Blaze, the Pandora. Another step forward, and the fate of hope in the world becomes a little clearer. BK 5
1. Prologue

**AN: Welcome to the fifth **_**official**_** installment of Pearl Drops. Of course, there are the side stories involved in the whole process of this series, but this is **_**numero cinco.**_

**Summary: Hailley Green is easil the most powerful Daughter. Her gift is strong, and she seems to have control and ease in using it. She knows that her friends fear her for it, but that's okay. Hailley languishes in power, but not the responsibility it comes with. It's just not her thing. Of course, that was before the dreams. Before she purchases a seemingly harmless mask. Before Alessandro and his sister show up in her crumbling world.**

**When she wears the mask, Hailley feels like the world is hers. She has power. But she's blacking out every time she wears it, and her dreams shift from warnings to whispers of creating chaos. Things are getting out of control as the Daughters tell her of the horrible things she's doing while wearing the mask. Who is the god pushing her over the edge? Can she trust Alessandro to help her figure out the way to defeat the mask... And ultimately herself as she battles to for her freedom?**

**Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own anything from Daughters of the Moon. That's strictly Lynne Ewing. What I do own includes: the new Daughters (Hailley, Torrence, Auriella, and Blaze), anything pertaining to the Shadow Gods (including Akhet/Celeste, Marquette, and Evan), Kearney, Alessandro, the Daughters of Mischief, and a host of other characters you have only heard of in Pearl Drops. ;3**

**Prologue**

_Once, in the prosperous lands of Egypt, there was a protective sun goddess by the name of Bast. She was the daughter of Amun-Ra, the deity protecting cats, and she represented the love of motherhood._

_She was a gem among the gods and the people of Egypt. Bast became the wife of the highly esteemed Anubis, the brilliant light to his darkness._

_Then the Greeks invaded Egypt's beautiful lands and took Bast's beautiful sunlight from her, replacing it with the luminescence of the moon. Where before she had languished under the sun with her father, now she toiled in the night sky as the goddess Aelurus._

_Set, from his desert mantle, saw the suppressed anger Bast hid from the world and her beloved worshippers, even from her husband. The chaos god smiled. It was well rumored that his son, Anubis, was really the son of his most hated brother, Osiris. What a way todestroy something to his brother than by gifting little Bast with a way to be powerful again._

_So, the god approached the goddess one night as she looked down angrily at the Greeks in her beautiful home. He offered to her a mask crafted to look like the fierce war goddess Sekhmet. With shaking hands, Bast took the mask, holding the lioness face in front of her own. _

_And for three nights a month, Bast left the sky to come back to Egypt, forgetting who she was supposed to be and what she was supposed to represent, wreaking havoc across her homelands._

_Finally, Anubis caught on to Set's game and ripped the mask from his beautiful wife's face. She cried out in shock, the wondrous power it gave her gone now. He threw the mask into the shifting desert sands, to be lost from his weak wife's hands._

_Now, when the moon goes dark, it is because Bast walks with her husband in the Underworld, repenting for the sins the mask of Set caused her to commit._


	2. The Daughters

**AN: Omigosh! Welcome! Can you believe we are finally on Hailley's book?? I think I started writing this series four years ago, and here we are, rounding out all the Daughters' point of views, finally. I would just like to say... I'm getting close to figuring out how this series is going to end. And I don't think it will be much longer. Well... We have Ella's book next, and then Nikolas in a side story, Torrence again, Chris, then Blaze... Wow. That's five books, and I'm sure that's not quite the end yet... But very close. o.o; How I'm rounding it out, by the time Blaze's book comes around, she will be seventeen. So, it's like Jimena's book. When she makes the choice, only a bit more complicated... Okay, that's enough rambling from me! Enjoy!**

**Part One: Intervening**

**Chapter One: The Daughters**

"Summer! The beach, the sun, and some really cute boys!" Hailley Green lounged back on her hot pink beach towel, the sun feeling so wonderful on her face. Beside her, she heard her best friend, Cameron "Blaze" Mitchells, snorted in a _very_ unladly-like fashion.

Hailley opend her green eyes to stare at her. She smiled at her friend, but sometimes she was really quite jealous of her. Sure, Hailley was beautiful. She had a perfect tan that just lit up her green eyes. Her hair was long and silky, a beautiful chestnut brown. She had wonderfully long legs, and her body certainly didn't lack the assets most girls around Los Angeles went to plastic surgeons for. She was a beloved only child, the light of her father's eyes. She was popular at Hollywood High, a talented actress, and she had the power to manipulate minds around her--literally.

Her best friend always made her just a little jealous. Blaze had _two_ loving parents, and she was blessed with having siblings to spend her life with. Blaze also had the one boy Hailley had loved since childhood--Conrad Killingsworth--as her boyfriend. She had an _expanding_ gift, moving on from just stopping time to speeding it up or slowing it down. It reminded Hailley of that old movie _Click_, with Adam Sandler. Except that Blaze was the remote. But most of all, Blaze had to be one of the most gorgeous girls Hailley had ever laid eyes on. Especially now that she wasn't all gothic. Her skin was creamy soft and the same color as a Hershey's milk chocolate bar. She was tall--easily the tallest of the four friends--giving her a grace that Hailley envied. Her lips were beautifully full, and her gorgeous caramel eyes tilted in exotic fashion. Blaze had once told her that her ex-best friend--and now dangerously crazy Follower of the Atrox--had called her an African queen, but Hailley hadn't laughed with her. She _agreed_ with Erik.

"What?" Hailley asked.

"You and boys," Blaze murmured.

"What's that about boys?" Auriella Saratoga asked happily, all smiles as she drug her best friend, Torrence Hudson, towards the two already lying down.

Together, the four of them made the Daughters of the Moon. The Daughters were mortal goddesses from the moon goddess Selene to save humanity from an evil _shadow _called the Atrox. They were supposed to represent hope to the world, but Hailley felt that this generation was too dysfunctional to succeed very much. Plus, how did you represent hope to people if they didn't even know you existed?

Blaze was also a Daughter of Pandora. As such, she had a chance to fulfill her Pandoric fate, or turn from it. Sadly, she had failed before she had even begun, opening her "box" before she even knew what she was. Her boyfriend, Conrad, happened to be said box.

Auriella was part Siren, and she was being stalked by a Follower named Anthony. Not that _she_ seemed to mind. Hailley thought there was more going on there, but she wasn't saying. On her face, she still carried the scars of her battle with the crazed harpy, Andromeda.

Torrence seemed to be the most messed up. Her parents were Stanton--the Atrox's right-hand man--and Serena--a previous Daughter of the Moon turned dark goddess. Not only was she the elected leader of the Daughters, but also a group of apparent key teens that could turn the fate of the world. At least, that's what she said Hecate told her.

Hailley seemed to be the only normal one. So far, anyway. She was just waiting to learn what destiny had in store for her. She could only imagine the wonderful gift she would presented.

She looked at the newcomers, her eyes scanning them over. Auriella and Torrence had known each other since childhood, being neighbors and such. They were as different as night from day, though.

Auriella was cute, with an infectious grin, short blonde hair with red tips, and sparkling blue eyes. She had been head cheerleader at La Brea High School, dating the quarterback of the football team. She gave both up to focus on being a Daughter and the lead singer of Torrence's foster brother's band, Our Beloved Departed. The gift she had been born with was pyrokinesis, but after accepting the Siren part of her, Ella had found that she could weave protection spells with her fire.

Torrence was different than her cute counterpart. Her hair was long and curly, the color black as night. Her body was toned and muscular from belly dancing, one of her great loves in life--along with her twin brother Chris, her dog Phobos, and her Daughters. But, easily, the best feature on Torrence were her blue eyes, piercing and sometimes terrifying. Both she and Chris had inherited them from their father. Her Daughter gift was cryokinesis, but she could see visions of the future in an iced mirror, intensified by Pandora because of the help Torrence had given to the Daughters of Mischief.

Hailley sighed. Why couldn't her gift evolve and expand, too?

Torrence grinned, staring at Blaze with a crazy twinkle in her eye. "Pink bikini?"

Auriella bit her lip to keep from giggling. She and Tor were wearing matching bikinis, both black with white polka dots.

Blaze smirked at their leader. "Blame the puff over there." She tilted her head at Hailley.

Hailley's eyes widened with innocence, a hand placed lightly against her chest. "Me?"

Ella lay next to Hailley, stretching out her body for the sun. "Of course you."

Hailley broke out into a smile. She couldn't feel jealous of her sisters for long. They were amazing girls, strong and beautiful. They shared their power and helped each other out, even in battles. They had made Hailley a better person for it.

"Oh. You never answered my question," Auriella reminded, opening her eyes to only slits.

"I was just talking about the gorgeous men of Los Angeles, that you saved of course," Hailley mentioned lightly, admiring such a pair throwing a nerf ball back and forth.

"Hailley is just a tad horny here," Blaze said nonchalantly, talking with ease about her friend.

Hailley smiled, knowing Blaze spoke the truth, even though she hadn't mentioned it to her. It was something they just new about each other... They soaked up every essence of one another when they could slip into each toher's minds. They hadn't done that lately, not since the night they fought Erik and recieved a vision of the future from Pandora.

Her eyebrows knit together. Blaze couldn't share her life with Hailley.

...And Hailley missed it. She didn't want to tell Blaze about her vision. She wanted to _feel_ Blaze's, and she wanted Blaze to feel what she did.

It wasn't going to happen though. Hailley missed being involved in Blaze's life, now more than ever.

**Next Up: Nick's friend is coming to town, and it sends Hailley to her father for the big questions... About Corrine.**


	3. The Puff Cures Almost All

**Part One: Intervening**

**Chapter Two: The Puff Cures Almost All**

"Hailley!"

The brunette blinked rapidly, her eyes focusing in on her current subject of thought--Blaze. "Sweetie?"

"Want to join the conversation and quit staring at my beautiful face?" Blaze joked, grinning at her.

"Must be the sun. I always get distracted by it." She sat up, her moon amulet hitting with a soft thump against her chest.

"I was just sayng that we all are. With the exception of our little Blaze here, being with her little boy toy after all," Torrence repeated with sweet sarcasm, winking a blue eye at the time goddess.

"If Auriella hadn't dumped that guy Gavin, she wouldn't be either," Hailley pointed out. She watched with sudden curiosity as the blonde blushed pink, the color rising up from her neck to her cheeks.

"I... I'm happy not being with anybody. I hardly have the time. Now that it's summer, Nikolas has dedicated almost every day to practice. We have to record our demo cd soon, and we have to be in tip-top shape," Ella told them, defending herself fiercely. Oh, yes, Hailley could taste the delicious story Ella had in store for them.

"I have a huge a performance coming up, and I'm doing summer school in the mornings. I'm putting in twelve hour days with Robert. Doesn't meant I'm not horny," Torrence mentioned as a clear argument to Ella's words. Even Torrence seemd to suspect her dear friend.

Ella blew air loudly through her nose, narrowing her eyes at her friend. "Maybe that's 'cause it's Robby..."

Hailley cocked her eyebrow at the two. Robert was a sore subject for Torrence. A few months back, they had dated, even though Robert knew it was wrong, being a Son of the Dark. He ended up cheating on her, and she caught him, with a fellow dancer at that. All of them knew she still had strong feelings for him.

"Maybe." Torrie shrugged, as though Ella's words hadn't bothered her at all. And maybe they hadn't.

Hailley thought that they did, though.

"Forget guys," Hailley said suddenly, flipping her hand at them in a drama queen fashion, waving the subject off to banishment for the moment.

"Oh! That reminds me. I want you guys to meet Nicky's friends!" Torrence exclaimed, latching on to Ella tightly all of a sudden.

_Nicky?_ Blaze mouthed. Hailley shrugged. She wasn't anymore aware of this nickname than Blaze was.

"Haven't we met his bandmates already?" Hail posed quietly, remembering too vividly Adam, Ray, and Kane.

A smile lifted the corners of Auriella's mouth wider. "True, Dollface is close to the boys, but these friends Nikolas actually grew up with. They're the children of the other Sons."

"And they don't get together too often anymore," Torrence picked up, worrying her poor lip with her teeth. "I've only met some of them once, but they're really nice."

"Why are they meeting up now?" Blaze let her curiosity get the better of her.

Torrie's head tilted, and she lifted her hand to block the sun from her eyes. "Well, Berto's son, Alessandro, his mother just died. I guess none of the group really knew her well because she had a whole other family, but he was very close to her and his older sister. They are trying to comfort him for his loss."

"Do they live around here? It sounds like they don't," Hailley guessed. Something pulled at her, hearing the butcherd tale of Nick's friend. Did her mother run off and make another family, too? Derek never mentioned Corrine to her, but she remember some friends of his talking about how flaky she was. Was that how Alessandro's family was? Was his father lonely, like hers?

"No," Torrence answered, giving them a quick shake of her head. "They are coming in to stay with Alessandro's mother's aunt."

Hailley shivered at his name. How did it feel, knowing that his mother didn't love his father enough to be with them?

"When are they going to be here?" Hailley finally asked.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

Hailley popped the spoon of 'Mallow Puff into her mouth, deep in thought. Her feet dangled off the stool, her toe rings glinting in the kitchen lights.

"Uh-oh. I know what this means," Derek said lightly, a kind smile on his face.

Even at his age, Derek Green was a good-looking man. He would have to be; Hailley looked extremely similar to him. He could have dated. She wouldn't have minded sharing him with a woman that would have treated him like a god.

Beyond his looks, Derek was also a great man. He was kind and even funny. Plus, he had the best thing going for him: he was the greatest father who ever lived, in her opinion.

"Welcome home, Daddy," she responded, returning his smile and holding out her spoon.

He took the offered object, eating the puff. "What's up, baby girl?"

"Nothing really. I've just been thinking."

"About? You know you never break this out unless it's serious. The last time was when you and Cameron had that fight over Conrad."

"Daddy?" Hailley looked at him as he ate another big spoonful. His brows raised as a silent reply. She took a deep breath. "Did Mom leave to make another family?"

He started coughing, choking on the marshmallow fluff he was trying to swallow, his face turning bright red. He thumped his chest a few times, clearing his airways. She blushed with embarrassment as she hopped off her stool to clap him on the back.

"Is that what you think, Hailley Tianna?" He finally asked when he could breathe again.

"I don't know," she mumbled, sticking her finger into the jar.

"Hail... Corrine just wasn't the woman to stay and raise a family. I'm okay with that. I never really loved her, but I know above everything that when I found out she was pregnant, that you would be the only thing in my life. And when we were told you would be a girl, I had a party for myself everyday," Derek confessed to her, tears glittering his eyes. "Your mother didn't want you. She didn't really want me, eithe. _I_ have loved you everyday you have existed, Hailley. I named you. I prepared for you. Please, don't ever doubt _that_, baby."

Hailley shook her head, trying to hide her face from him, sure that she would start crying at any second. "I'm glad, Dad. I'm glad it's just us."

Her father gave her a sad, watery smile, chucking Hailley under the chin. "Me, too. I love you, Hail."

She threw her arms around her father's middle, causing him to drop the spoon with puff in her hair as he was caught off guard. It clattered to the floor immediately after, but neither cared. She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his familiar, fatherly scent.

"I love you, too, Daddy," she sighed, not even caring that she had a goop of fluffed marshmallow dripping around in her hair.

**Next Up: We back track to Marquette's funeral, and Celeste's request that Kearney and Alessandro stay with her for the summer.**


	4. The Children of Marquette

**AN: School... What more can I say??**

**Part One: Intervening**

**Chapter Three: The Children of Marquette**

Alessandro Leslos sighed into the heat, wondering how his mother could have loved Egypt so much. It was so hot and muggy. But she had always spoke lovingly of her birth place, and it was in her will--as well as her husband's--to be scattered here.

Kearney grabbed his hand. He looked down at his sister. She was older than him by a few years, but it had been _her_ parents that died. Marquette and Evan. Her red hair was wrapped tight in a bun on top of her head, tears streaming from her mismatched eyes on to her pale, exposed face.

They were the only children in their families, but siblings nonetheless.

"It should have rained," Alessandro muttered drily. He stared with gray eyes--like their mother's--at his older sister.

"It doesn't really rain in the desert," Kearney reminded him in a soft and gentle voice.

Alessandro hurt for his sister more than himself and his father. Kearney hadn't just lost her mother in that car crash; she had lost her best friend all over again. "I know, but still..."

Berto, his father, turned back to look at the siblings. His eyes were dry, but his heart was unbearably broken. Looking at the two, he could see how alike they were without looking as such. Kearney was fair where Alessandro was dark, with Marquette's eyes and his dark coloring.

"You're falling behind," he warned in a soft voice.

"Sorry, Dad."

"Sorry, Berto."

Marquette's aunt Celeste took Berto's arm, walking slowly with him to the gravesite Marquette had specified--the place where she had lost Aidrian as a child.

"I don't mind taking them for the summer, Berto. It might do them some good," Celeste offered.

"Would it? Is there something else you had in store?" Berto fired at her, anger flaring in his eyes.

Her light brows rose high on her head, a smile etched into her face. "Why, Berto, is that mistrust I detect in your voice?"

"After _everything_ you put Marquette and Kearney through, you're _damn right_ that I don't trust _your_ god," Berto hissed in a low voice, afraid the children would hear.

"I know," Celeste said neutrally. "This doesn't involve Kearney now, though."

"But my son?"

"The _son_ of one of the Four and the most powerful Shadow Goddess. Did you think that Anubis wouldn't have his finger on him?"

"I had hopes, Akhet..."

"This is beside the point, however. It might do them good--"

"It's the Daughters of the Moon, isn't it? Is your god rubbing his paws on Selene's daughters again?" Berto asked, remembering old times.

Celeste sighed deeply, her face drawn in fatigue. "There have been... Developments..."

"Such as?"

"I'm not sure what it is, exactly. Anubis hasn't told us. However, I do know that there isn't another Shadow Goddess. And Alessandro isn't a child of Anubis. If that eases any of your concerns."

"A little," Berto relented to admit to her.

"Please. I haven't seen them in so long. I really want to spend time with them. I loved Marquette; I was there at her creation," Celeste told him, her eyes clouded with memories and tears.

Berto shook his head and sighed. Celeste knew that she won the battle. "You'd have to ask them if that's what they want."

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

Alessandro sat on the edge of his sister's hotel bed, much as he did when they were younger and he would come to visit. "What do you think?"

"I like Aunt Celeste," Kearney said. It wasn't exactly what he had been asking.

"So do I. But we've only ever seen her on visit, a few days tops. This is the whole summer we're talking about here."

"You don't want to spend the summer with her?" Kearney asked quietly. "I'm going back to college soon, Andro. I had to cut my trips with Aidrian short because of Mom and Dad dying."

"You could go meet up with him in Italy," Alessandro suggested with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm not feeling it anymore," she whispered.

Aidrian was Kearney's long time boyfriend. In another time, he had been with their mother, but crazy events led the first Aidrian to die, become the Dead, court the...other reincarnated Kearney...die again...

Alessandro groaned just trying to think about his family's history. It gave him migraines.

"Something's telling me we should go with Aunt Celeste," Kearney told her brother.

"Even knowing your past lives?" Alessandro questioned with morbid curiosity.

"I only know the stories, Andro. Hecate made sure that Aidrian and I didn't remember. We started clean." She sat next to her brother, smiling lovingly at him. "So I can't really feel anything negative regarding any of that."

"You would spend an entire summer with me, then?"

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "It'll be the most time we spent together as a family."

"Okay. Let's go to Aunt Celeste's house in Los Angeles."

"Hey! If we're going to L. A., you might as well call up the gang. It's summer, and I know Nick would love to throw you guys a party," Kearney suggested with a big smile.

"Yeah. Especially since the last time we got together, I couldn't go. And Nikolas has been telling me all about this girl living with him. I want to meet the one that stole his heart," Alessandro exclaimed.

"Ah, young love."

"Ah, old love," he teased. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Kearney?" He looked at his siter. She tilted her head at him in response. "I'm really going to miss them both."

"Me, too. I never got to say good-bye this time around. And they live on, Andro. They live on, fulfilling their duties as part of the Dead."

"Will we get to see them?"

"I don't know."

Alessandro nodded, but he felt even more depressed.

**AN: I hope you guys enjoyed the little insight into the dynamic between Alessandro and Kearney. Same mother, different fathers, and yet a close sibling bond. Not to mention their family history. XD**

**Next Up: Hailley meets up with Alessandro in the early morning hours.**


	5. A Chance Meeting

**AN: I'm updating! :D It's actually earlier than I had planned, but I had it all typed up and ready to be read, and really... Who am I to deny Hailley her story? So, reviews, please! I like feedback. **

**Part Two: Directions**

**Chapter Four: A Chance Meeting**

_She was walking around, lost. Lost in a desert where the sun and the moon occupied the same sky. She stood there a moment, staring into the sky. How strange that there would be both at once, but, it was the sun dimming out._

_Finally, she tore her eyes from the sky. Strangely, she took no comfort from the moon, but felt remorse for the dying sun. _

_She heard a growl and turned around quickly. Her heart beat so fast, so painfully fast. She felt a loss of breath in the hot desert. A lion stood behind her. Then it was in the air, coming straight for her. _

With a moan, Hailley shuddered from her nightmare. Sweat covered her body; she felt drenched. Her clothes were soaked. She blinked slowly, adjusting to the dark of her room.

"Great," she groaned, rolling out of bed. A drop of sweat itched her her neck as it rolled down to her shoulder. She wiped her hand at it, brushing the moisture from her skin.

She kneeled on the floor, holding her head in her hands. The carpet was soft under her knees. That dream was crazy, intense. She sighed loudly. "I'm losing my mind."

The digital clock's red numbers said that it was only four-thirty a.m. Sluggishly, she pulled herself up from the floor, groping around from her discarded sweatpants. She tugged them on and stumbled out into the hallway. There was no way that she was getting back to sleep now. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she quietly made her way down the stairs. She tugged her shoes on and left the house.

It was still dark outside. Above her lay a crescent moon, slowly making its way to a new moon. The dark was approaching again, and she wondered what the Followers would be up to.

At first, when Hailley first found out that she was a Daughter of the Moon, she didn't appreciate the responsibility. She didn't care. Sometimes, she found herself in that same frame of mind. Nobody had asked her if she wanted to be a Daughter. Last that she checked, she still lived in America. Where free will still existed.

Torrence, Blaze, and Auriella took their roles so seriously. Life or death.

And in a way, being a Daughter was kind of like that. It was a dangerous life for a cause nobody even knew about or was grateful for.

Hailley continued walking down the block, turning the corner and heading away from home.

This was not out of the norm for the brunette. She was frequently hit with strange bouts of insomnia or strange dreams, and walking around helped her feel calm enough to go back to sleep.

"Hey."

She jumped at the sound of his voice, caught completely off guard by whoever it was. He laughed softly at her.

Hailley turned on her heel, hands on her hips already. Her tired eyes narrowed at the cute boy behind her. "Are you following me, stalker?"

"Whoa. Not at all!" He looked genuinely surprised, throwing his hands in the air as a sign of innocence to her accusation.

"Then explain yourself," she demanded, glaring at him in distrust.

"Anybody ever tell you that you come off strong?" He asked instead of answering her, but when she started tapping her foot, he quickly began to explain. "I'm staying over there." He pointed to a house across the street. "I couldn't sleep, so I left to take a walk. That's when I saw you here by yourself."

Hailley pursed her lips and continued to glare at him. He _seemed_ sincere, and her amulet wasn't thrumming with the sense of Follower danger. Plus, he really _was_ cute. Curly black hair framing a manly face, dark skin, and these interesting gray eyes that didn't seem to belong to his face. They also—quite sadly to Hailley's overreacting nature—screamed honesty.

A nice guy in Los Angeles? Yeah, sure.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you," he mumbled, backing away from her silent form slowly.

In a quick decision, Hailley smiled big, showing off her teeth. "Hey, sorry. Look, even in this neighborhood, a girl has t be careful. Especially on that looks like me."

A black brow cocked as he chuckled. "You think very highly of herself."

She shrugged, waiting for him to walk back over to her. They continued walking together as soon as he reached her again, their pace slow, picking up the direction that Hailley was intent on walking.

"Honestly? Not really," she admitted to him, still smiling brightly. A smile always made people relax and feel comfortable. It was a powerful weapon for Hailley to possess. "I mean, I don't have low self-esteem or anything, but I'm not actually completely into myself. What I mean is, I act like I am... For other people," she rambled on, a dark blush burning her neck and face.

The boy smiled at her. "You seemed so self sure. Now you're just a rambling mess. You are a mystery; what's a guy to think?"

To make her embarrassment worse, she felt herself blush even darker. Her cheeks were on fire. By far, he wasn't the most handsome guy she had ever met. She could hold her own to those chiseled men. What was it about this one guy that made her so.... _uncool?_

"I... Uh..."

He laughed, bumping shoulders with her. "I'm Alessandro."

"Hailley." She laughed with him as the circled the block together. "So, what brings you to fabulous Los Angeles?"

"Oh, um... Family getaway, you could call it," he answered hesitantly. She watched a wave of sorrow crash over his face until it disappeared completely.

"What happened?" She asked softly, curious.

"Nothing." His lie came quickly. It was the type of lie almost everybody responded with.

She glanced at him again, into his steel-like eyes, and pushed just a tiny bit, enough to make him change his mind. "Tell me."

His eyes started to glaze over like they always did when she issued a command like this. She smiled to herself. Her power was so simple. He blinked a few ties then, shook his head, and began staring at her hard. As though he _knew_ what she was trying to do. She stopped cold.

_No way. He... He didn't take, just like those Followers all those months ago! _He r hand immediately searched out her amulet. She may have caught Torrence's and Blaze's paranoia, but something wasn't _normal_ about Alessandro.

"I'm sorry. You seem cool, Hailley, but I'm not comfortable talking about it with someone I don't even know." He gave her a weak ass smile and turned away. Over his shoulder, he called, "See you around!"

He left an incredibly stunned Hailley behind.

**Next Up: While Hailley is discussing the possible meaning of her dream with Jimena, the Magna Mater gets a little weird on the actress.**


	6. When Jimena Gets All Mystical

**AN: Super short, I know. But you'll still love me when you read it, so it's all good. :D**

**Part Two: Directions**

**Chapter Five: When Jimena Gets All Mystical**

"Hailley."

Hailley smiled at Jimena, hugging the older woman tightly. When she was younger, Jimena was like a mother to her, since Corrine had walked out and decided that she was too good to be a mom to a little brat. Derek had been good friends with both Jimena and her husband, Collin. In fact, she grew up alongside Conrad, the two like inseparable twins, always surfing or skateboarding together.

Yes, shocking. Hailley was actually a _tomboy_ growing up.

"You girls aren't scheduled to meet me until Saturday. What's occasion?" Jimena inquired, finally letting the girl go.

One day, Hailley started noticing boys in ways that weren't quite that friendly. And she noticed the way they looked at girls completely different from herself. Thus began the new Hailley: girly, feminine, catty.

Sometimes, she missed her old self, missed just being friends with Conrad. She didn't have much time for him during her transformation. No time for Conrad, no time for Jimena. No matter how much she loved both of them. In her mind, she thought that Conrad would never see her as anything other than his old childhood friend.

Until that fateful night Hailley found out about being a Daughter of the Moon, _a goddess, _she never thought she was good enough for the boy.

"I need help," Hailley admitted, a bitter taste in her mouth. She didn't like admitting those kinds of things.

Jimena led the young Daughter into the kitchen, sitting her at the little table there. After a minute, a hot cup of tea was placed in her hands. Hailley smiled and looked up at Jimena.

"I saw you coming over this morning, _mija_," the woman explained with a shrug.

It was easy having a Magna Mater with visions, sometimes.

"Tell me what's wrong, Hailley."

Hailley sipped her tea—minty and hot—as she thought of how to explain her dreams. "I'm not sure. There have been these... nightmares lately."

"Nightmares?" Jimena watched her closely, waiting for the answer.

"They always start the same. I'm in an endless desert, and the sun and the moon share the same sky. I'm admiring the beauty of the two when out of nowhere, a lion attacks," Hailley spilled, her words just tumbling out, the quicker the better.

Jimena looked confused. Hailley sighed, knowing that her Magna Mater didn't find much to say about her nightmare. "I'm not exactly sure what to tell you. You know, sometimes our dreams are our mind's ways of trying to tell us something. Maybe this is the reason why it keeps repeating itself.

"This is an extremely _subtle_ nightmare," Hailley said dryly, her sarcasm causing Jimena to break out into a wide grin.

"I'm not a dream expert," the woman laughed, reaching over and squeezing Hailley's hand gently. "Well, the sun and the moon in the same sky. That's an interesting feature."

Hailley examined her pink nails. The polish was chipping a little bit. She probably should have gone to a manicurist instead. "Doesn't help me figure the dream out," she pouted, tearing her eyes away from her fingers. Her lower lip jutted out, annoyed that Jimena couldn't help her with this, even though she _obviously _needed it.

Jimena leaned back in her chair, watching Hailley. Hailley glanced at the woman's tattooed tears—one for each stay in a detention center, or something like that—wondering how much that had hurt.

"I'm sorry I don't know how to help you, Hail," Jimena apologized.

Hailley shrugged. "Whatever. It was a long shot, anyway. I thought... Maybe..."

"Maybe what?" The woman smiled gently, and Hailley could see the inner goddess within. "That it was something related to being a Daughter? You girls really are very paranoid these days."

_Paranoid?_ Anything that happened to them lately seemed to be directly associated with their heritages. Or it was because of some other tie to some myth that happened to really exist. Tymmie, Pandora and her Daughters, the Atrox, Erik, Sirens.... Everything bad in their lives was because they were Daughters!

"It's just a nightmare. I'm sure that it will pass and go away soon."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course."

Hailley frowned, completely disappointed in Jimena's reassurances. It was so unnatural to dream like she was. At least... It seemed that way to Hailley. Really, come on. Why would she really be having these dreams?

"I can tell by that look that you're still going to be wondering about it."

Hail glanced at Jimena, sighing. "What can I say?" She nibbled on her thumb, her mind racing. "It _bothers_ me, Jimena. I'm terrified of the lion. Terrified... And wishing that it does reach me all at once."

"Okay. If it bothers you so much, perhaps you should go find some other help." Jimena pursed her lips, staring Hailley down.

"What kind of help?" She leaned forward, intrigued by the mysterious aura Jimena was giving off.

"Find a book. Better yet, visit an oracle."

Hailley blinked a few tomes, caught off guard by the words. _Did she say "oracle"?_ "Jimena? Do oracles even exist anymore? I mean, seriously?"

She gave the young goddess a smile: small, hypnotic, and completely new to Hailley. "There are all kinds of people around, Hailley. You just have to look harder for them."

Well, points for the Magna Mater for becoming all mystical on her ass.

She hoped this oracle just popped out of nowhere, for her sake. Hailley wasn't about to search for her ass.

**Next Up: Hailley does indeed search her oracle out. Question is, will she find out what she needs to know?**


	7. Search

**AN: Right. I don't even know if Manolo's come in this color, nor do I care. It suits my purposes. Give me love! Also... I could have sworn that I posted this... XD Hahaha. I was wondering why I wasn't getting any reviews!**

**Part Two: Directions**

**Chapter Six: Search**

"If you were an Oracle, Blaze, where would you put up your all-knowing wooden box of business?" Hailley asked her best friend, irritated that she had spent all day searching for some person... And she hadn't even bought anything for herself!

Blaze sighed, wiped out from a day where she was literally dragged all downtown and into Chinatown. "I'm sure this person who probably doesn't even exist can not be found by your searching."

"Why in hell not? If I can track down a pair of limited edition neon pink Manolo's, Blaze, why can't I find one measly person?"

Blaze coughed gently, giving her friend the most disbelieving face imaginable. Hailley had never seen such a look; well, it had never been directed at her, at least. "Why... Why in hell... _Neon pink?_"

"They're Manolo's!"

Extremely serious, Blaze stared at her friend with an expression similar to regarding some crazy hobo and said, "You're fucked in the head."

Hailley's jaw dropped. She felt so insulted! "Well... That's just... You're so mean to me sometimes!"

Blaze shrugged, far from getting over the image of _neon pink shoes_. "Do you actually wear them?"

"Well, duh! They cost my dad a serious fortune!" Hailley smiled brightly, oblivious to Blaze's shock and forgetting her insult already. She was ready to go on and complete her search.

"We're burning daylight chatting about my damn shoes!"

Blaze smirked, shaking her head. "Remind me again why we are searching for an oracle during our _summer vacation_. I have nightmares all the time!"

Hailley was becoming increasingly impatient now. She placed her hands on her hips, blowing air out of her mouth in a loud huff. "Cameron, please. This just feels important to me. I just have a feeling, okay? Plus, I swear... Jimena went all Pandia on me." She was pleading now, begging Blaze to understand what she was going through.

"Whatever. But I'm getting hungry. Are you going to feed my ass?"

"Jeez, fine! If we must stop to cram food down our throats, then let's go!"

Blaze grabbed Hailley's hand as they started walking down a different street. Her friend was tense, stiff. This shit was really bothering her, and Blaze just couldn't really see why. If Hailley felt passionate about a wild goose chase, then by all means, Blaze would, too—for Hailley's sake, in any case.

"We should get some Chinese," Blaze suggested.

"Okay."

Short. Simple. Hailley, for once in her life, just didn't have much to say. She didn't want to dream, and yet she did. She wasn't sure what was happening to her, but she would find out and correct it. This wasn't going to affect her anymore. She wouldn't allow that shit to occur.

"Please, Hailley. It's going to be just fine."

She had stopped listening to her friend, though. Something in the air had shifted, and Hailley was being pulled down an alley on the opposite side of the street. She darted across, ignoring the screech of tires and honking horns. Blaze yelled after her, but Hailley kept running.

_I'm crazy. I've lost my mind. My dad is going to have to lock me up somewhere._

She kept running. It pulled and pulled her until she could run no more. She had been twisting alleys, a maze of dark and dirty walls.

More than that, she had been led to a dead end.

She leaned over, her hands clutching her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Her sides ached. Her face felt so hot.

And nothing happened.

"What?" She squeezed her eyes shut. What she felt before running, was that even a real feeling? Was she really going crazy?

A giggle coming from behind her caused Hailley to straighten her body, her spine stiffening as she stood. Her head turned slowly first before her body followed suit in a complete 180 turn.

"Hi!" A girl of seven stood there, waving her little hand at Hailley. She wore a big smile on her tiny face.

"Oh my God, kid!" Hailley breathed a huge sigh of relief. "You scared the _crap_ out of me."

The girl rocked back and forth on her heels, looking at Hailley with expectation. "What's your name?"

"What are you doing here, kid? Where's you mommy?"

Impatiently, the girl shrugged, not caring for Hailley's questions at all. "My name is Sybill."

The Daughter sighed, exasperated. Little kids were such brats. Wasn't she at all worried that her mother was probably worried sick over her? Didn't she know not to talk to strangers, even ones that looked like Hailley? "My name is Hailley."

Sybill reached for Hailley's hand, securing the two together. She pulled Hailley back the way she had come.

"See? That's wasn't hard at all!"

"Um..."

She was a strange little kid, all lost out here. Her hair was snow white and pulled into pigtails. Hailley wondered how she had gotten such a hair color. She figured that the girl's mom was one of those creepy ass pageant moms and had dyed the girl's hair this particular color. Which was just a really dumb idea because it would get dirty so easily. Her eyes were a surprising dark brown set against pale skin. Sybill probably didn't need to wear her blue contacts for today, Hailley figured. She also wondered if the girl was wearing sunblock in this summer heat and sun. This kid, this Sybill, could have been an albino for Christ's sake! At least her clothes reflected the sun's rays. She wore a white sun dress, all cute and preppy with her little sandals to go with.

"Where are we going?" Hailley was being led around by a girl who ended up at the same place she did, after all.

"We're getting out, Hailley. Don't worry. I'll show you the way!"

"How do you know it?"

"I just do!"

Hailley probably wouldn't have ever admitted, not even to herself, but she was a little scared of this girl.

**Next Up: Hm... Maybe Hailley _did_ find exactly what she was looking for...**


	8. Sybill

**AN: Sorry for such a short chapter! :O I'm slowly running out of updates for you guys! /0\ It's a disaster, lol.**

**Part Three: The Oracle**

**Chapter Seven: Sybill**

"Sybill, hold on!" Hailley cried out, struggling against the girl pulling her around. She was fast, and strong, for a kid dragging a teenager with her.

Sybill glanced back, stopping a few seconds later. "What is it?"

"How did you get back here? How do you know how to get back?" Hailley grabbed the girl by her shoulders, squatting down so that they both came eye to eye. "Why is your mom letting you wander around on your own? Don't you know that this is dangerous?"

Sybill grinned in that annoying kid-like way. "Those aren't really the questions that you want answered!"

Hailley took a step back, pushing wisps of hair out of her eyes. "What in hell are you talking about?" Her hands immediately clasped over her mouth. She probably shouldn't have said "hell" in front of a young mind, but it just kept slipping out.

The girl's smile widened. She was completely unperturbed by Hailley's mannerisms. "Do you know what lions are? I learned, in school, that they are called the king of the jungle. But it's usually the girl lion who hunts. So she has all the power and strength in their family. That's what my teacher told me. She says that people forget that it's the woman who usually does have the power, but people are always more partial to boys. I don't think so. My mom doesn't really like boys," Sybill rambled on and on, leaving Hailley there to merely listen to the rant of Sybill's feminist teacher.

"Really?" Though her voice conveyed boredom, inside she buzzed with a strange sort of excitement.

"Yeah! The boy lions are just big kitties!" Sybill tugged on the girl's hand, and they began walking again. "Cool, huh?"

Was it a lioness in her dreams? A powerful representation of females... Is that what was attacking her? "Very."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Oh, um, no."

The girl swung their hands lightly. Hailley glanced around. All the walls looked the same: brick and dirt. She wasn't sure how Sybill knew her way around.

"There's a boy you want to know. Is he cute? There's a boy in my class. His name is Enrique. We are in the same after school program, too. I think he likes me," Sybill whispered loudly, her eyes lighting up with her pint-sized gossip.

"Is he cute?" Hailley parroted, smiling.

"I like his hair! It's all curly and black!"

"Yeah, this guy is cute, too."

"You're going to need his help, so don't be mad at him forever, okay?"

Hailley stared at her in disbelief. She tried swallowing, but her mouth had gone bone dry. "What?"

Sybill blinked. "You need help. Are you too afraid to ask? I know that my daddy is like that. He tells Mommy all the time that men don't ask for help. Mommy gets mad. I think that's why she doesn't like boys."

"I don't have problems asking for help, kid. I just don't feel the need for somebody else to help me."

"Well, you're _going_ to need his! _Don't_ play silly game like my daddy does. We all need help, Hailley."

Hailley thought over her words. Everybody needed help. Hadn't Blaze needed help against Erik? Hadn't they needed the Daughters of Mischief when they went against Larry? Hadn't Ella needed Adelphie's voice when cleansing Andromeda? There wasn't anything Hailley really needed help with, except for that stupid dream. And getting out of this damn maze.

But wasn't she seeking, or getting, help for all that?

Didn't she have Sybill here to help her? "What are you, Sybill?"

"What do you mean? My teacher said that I'm a Leo! Oh, look, we're almost out!" Sybill pointed to the street that lay before the mouth of the alleyway.

"Oh, wow! You found the way!" Hailley exclaimed, dropping the girl's hand.

"Told you." The girl practically exploded with pride. She reminded the older girl of a mini version of herself.

"Yes, you did."

Sybill skipped over to the exit, almost out. She turned around, staring at Hailley happily. "Oh. Don't be tempted by pretty things, Hailley. Like the kitty cat."

The goddess followed after her, curious. She didn't catch up to her, but reached the exit just in time to see a woman hold Sybill close. They were reunited again, mother and daughter. She didn't look like one of those pageant moms, either, so that made Hailley feel a little bit better.

"Hail! Oh my goddess! Do you know how freakin' worried about you I was?" Blaze caught up to her. She threw her arms around her brunette friend. Hailley leaned in to her embrace. Was this how Sybill felt in her mother's arm? "What happened? You took off like a demon was chasing you!"

Hailley squeezed her in return. "Let's go home, Blaze. Let's just go home."

Blaze cocked her eyebrow, but nodded anyway. "Okay. Let me call a cab for us then."

Hailley sighed. That was one special girl, that Sybill.

**Next Up: Hailley and Blaze go head-to-head over what Hailley really thinks.**


	9. Sad Bunch

**AN: Another update. You must be thinking... What is Batsu doing? Well, tis the season. Consider this your holiday update.**

**Also! Don't forget to start writing down your nominations for the Daughters of the Moon Awards! Voting begins on the first of the year! :D You can see a list of eligible stories for your vote on the Daughters of the Moon Writers forum.**

**Part Three: The Oracle**

**Chapter Eight: Sad Bunch**

"What do you mean that there are no cabs around?" Hailley demanded, clutching Blaze's arm tightly. Blaze had called for a taxi after Hailley had reappeared from the alley, looking dazed. She still had a far away look in her eye. "Are we stranded out here?"

"Not stranded," Blaze replied, dragging Hailley down the street to the nearest restaurant. "They are just overly busy at the company. So, we have to wait. I have an idea that will help time pass. Let's _eat_." With her free hand, she rubbed her stomach.

"What am I going to do with you?" Hailley asked loudly, over-exaggerating her sigh.

"You eat more than I do!" Blaze accused, smirking at the brunette. "You would devour a whole cow if you could."

"I am a growing girl and need my nutrition," Hailley protested, staring into the store windows around them. "Can we go shopping?"

"We eat first."

"And... Screw a cab. I'll call my dad, and you can spend the night!"

"Sure, I can do that," Blaze agreed, finally finding a place to eat.

It was a little diner, nestled quite nicely between the thrift store and antique shops. The girls slid into a corner booth. Blaze immediately shoved her face into the menu while Hailley stared out of the window. She could put a good amount of food away, but she didn't want to eat right now. Her growling stomach, on the other hand, was telling her otherwise.

"You sound like a lion," came her friend's voice from behind the menu.

"You could hear that?" Hailley asked, surprised. When did she last eat, anyway? _And what was with the lion comment? Why am I being stalked by the lion now?_

"China could hear that."

"Food sounds great, then, huh?"

Blaze glanced at her, frowning. "Okay, you are _really_ not acting like yourself, and I'm starting to really worry. Hailley, don't keep things from me."

Hailley snorted, unable to control the sound when _Blaze_ was talking about secrets. "Don't you think that we are too late for this talk? We already have secrets. Remember?"

Of course, she was talking about the visions Pandora had shown them. Cowardice had convinced each girl--and boy, consequently in Conrad's case--to remain silent about the visions.

"I know..."

"Hello, girls. My name's Jean. What can I get ya?" The waitress interrupted their somber conversation with her cheery voice. It grated on Hailley's nerves.

"Yes! Can I get the cheeseburger platter with a Coke?" Blaze ordered, grinning at the woman as though she had saved her life.

"Sure, and what about you?" The waitress turned to Hailley, smiling at her. "What do you want?"

"The same is fine." She didn't want to hear that voice anymore. She just wanted to eat so that she could do some shopping. Shopping always made her feel better.

"With the Coke?"

"Yes, please."

Hailley watched her walk away before turning back to Blaze. Blaze shot one, fine eyebrow up, waiting for Hailley to talk. The brunette grabbed a hold of her amulet, the charm with the moon etched into it vibrating soothingly in her hand.

"Blaze, you know that little girl?"

"The one you were holding hands with coming out of the alley?"

"I think... No. I _know_ that she was the oracle I was looking for."

A huge grin spread across her face as she began to laugh at Hailley. "You're whacked in the head if you think that girl—"

"_Cameron!_ Why are you so against this, of all things?" Hailley hissed, rage boiling under her skin at Blaze's attitude. "Look at who we are and what we've been through!"

"Wow," Blaze sighed, her mouth dropping open slightly.

"What?"

"It's just... Since when have you been so committed to what we are? To the goddess?" Blaze finally asked, confused.

Too true were Blaze's words. Hailley knew that. She wasn't exactly so gung-ho about saving the world. Save the world from what? A big, _scawy_ shadow that is evil. What about the evil people in the world? If the Daughters did eventually destroy the Atrox, wouldn't there still be evil somewhere out there?

What was the point?

"I'm just so confused, Cameron. I don't know what's going on in my head. Or our there." Hailley gestured to the window with her hand. "Hell, Auriella has never told us exactly how she got back her missing amulet. It just mysteriously showed up? You really just accept that?"

"That's her own business, Hail."

"No. We are always going on about how we have to stick together to be strong!" Hailley exclaimed, tired of the big talk but little action. "Believe me, Cameron. _Believe me_."

"I believe you," Blaze finally relented to say, sorrow in her eyes. Hailley could see that she was really upset by her actions, her words. But Hailley couldn't deny the truth.

They were a sad bunch of Daughters.

"Wish we had help."

"I think we all do."

"Here you girls go!" Jean popped up, unnoticed, dropping off their Cokes and plates. "Enjoy!"

Blaze munched on a french fry, her brows drawn in deep thought. "I love you, Hailley."

"I love you, too."

**Next Up: At an antique shop, you can find just about anything...**


	10. Thrift Shopping

**AN: Omgosh! Update! Lol. =D**

**Part Three: The Oracle**

**Chapter Nine: Thrift Shopping**

About a block away from the diner, Hailley found the place that she wanted to look at. The antiques in the window just screamed at Hailley to buy them. Centuries old desks, an old armoire, and a bedroom set painted a pretty picture in the window box, drawing Hailley to them. It was the quality of the pieces that made Hailley drag her fellow goddess inside of the store to browse. If they were lucky, maybe they would even find an artifact to bring home with them, for a good price that was.

Hailley browsed through the aisles, letting her fingers graze across certain objects. Not many people knew that she loved antiques—most thought that she was just some prissy bitch—but she absolutely loved old things. They were beautiful and full of history. And such beautiful objects were worth possessing.

"You look like a woman who appreciates true beauty," the voice of the shop owner said, as if reading her thoughts.

"That's Hailley for you," Blaze agreed, looking through the jewelry at the front of the store.

Hailley turned to the owner, taking him in. He was fairly young, with skin so dark, he could have _really_ been black. He was smiling at her, and those white teeth shone comically on his dark face. He was tall, and in order to look at him, she had to tilt her head back to fully see him.

"You have a great store," Hailley complimented him, smiling back.

"Thank you. Would you like to see something truly special?"

"Yes." Hailley didn't know why she so readily agreed, but the way he spoke, as if it were a secret, intrigued her.

He gestured for her to follow him, and she fell into step behind him as they headed to the back of the shop. The owner pushed through a curtained doorway; the beaded curtains clanked against the sides of the door as Hailley followed.

"Wait here," he said, running off to the safe in the corner of the room.

Hailley clasped her hands together, rocking back and forth on her heels as she waited. Was it a priceless jewel? A relic of ancient Greece? An eight hundred-year-old sword from the Samurais of Japan?

The man rushed back, a delicate and simple box in his hands. Hieroglyphics splattered the lid and sides. He held it out to her, a light in his dark eyes as he watched her own green orbs devour what he possessed. "Go on. Look inside."

She hesitated, afraid to touch it. The aura of the box seemed so sacred and forbidden. Still, her hand slowly reached out. Electricity ran through her fingertips when they touched the box. "What is it?"

"Open it," he urged her again, watching with nearly hungry eyes as she reached to open the box, but she wasn't paying attention to his stare.

Waiting no more, Hailley hurriedly flipped the lid up. It fell back on its hinges, creaking loudly with age, but Hailley didn't care. Her sight, no, all of her senses were hooked on to the antique within the box. A stunning mask lay inside, staring up at her. The ears were carved to perfection, round and golden. The face was long and feline, the mouth puckered up like a cat's. Eye slits stared back into her face, empty and waiting to be seen through, emphasized by the painted kohl ringing them.

Hailley was completely enthralled by the mask. "Oh..." was all she could say, a longing sigh in her throat.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The man smiled knowingly at her. "My grandfather was an assistant to an archaeologist. They dug this mask up in the desert sands of Egypt. It was perfectly intact when they found it, much as you see it now, though it is thousands of years old."

"Wouldn't a relic like this have been taken to a museum?" Hailley wondered, still in awe.

"Sometimes, assistants weren't as... honest as they should be. My grandfather stole it."

"What is the mask of?" She didn't care how it got to be here, only that she could feast her eyes upon it.

"That is an easy one. The box says it all. This is the mask of Sekhmet, the lioness goddess."

Hailley shivered in delight. Wasn't she just compared to a lioness only today? She had to have this mask, not matter the cost. No matter what.

"Would you be interested in purchasing the mask, miss?"

"Oh... How could I afford it? It must be fortune!" Hailley exclaimed, taken back. Of course, she had been thinking of buying it, but to be _offered_?

"It is a treasure I no longer need, child. I have been waiting for a special girl to have the mask of Sekhmet."

"How much?"

"One hundred, flat out. That's all I need."

_So cheap?!_

Hailley opened her mouth, prepared to tell him that she didn't have the cash on her at the time, but then she remembered that she had her credit card on her. She seldom used it because her father was always nagging about the responsibilities of plastic. Those lectures flew right out of the window. "Do you take credit cards, per chance?"

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

"I can't believe you bought that thing," Blaze said for the millionth time that night. "It can't even be real, for that price. What are you going to do with it, anyway?"

Hailley stroked the box, smiling softly. Her whole body hummed with joy. "Says the girl who spent fifty dollars on jewelry."

"I can at least _wear_ the jewelry. What are you going to do, wear that mask to Planet Bang or something?"

"Maybe." Hailley flashed her a grin as she placed the box next to her on the nightstand. "It could become the latest craze, you never know."

"Ha. Ha." Blaze got in under the comforter, rolling over onto her side so that she faced her friend. "You're a crazy bitch, you know that?"

"But you love me. And thank you... For today."

"Always."

That night, Hailley dreamed again of the desert and the sky inhabited by both orbs. It had a new element this time. A woman yelled at her as the lioness came closer, tensing to leap. Hailley stared at her, taking in as much as she possibly could. The woman stood between the two celestial bodies, lit by both the sun and the moon. And she just kept calling wordlessly to Hailley.

**Next Up: Alessandro comes back into the picture, and he manages to make Hailley actually feel bad about herself.**


	11. Alessandro

**AN: I know, I know. I've taken way too long to update, but hey, think of it like this. PD gets updated more than my Twilight stories! And my Heroes one. ... And, pretty much everything else, unless it's a oneshot. XD Anyhoo, enjoy.**

**Part Four: The Lioness Mask**

**Chapter Ten: Alessandro**

Torrence and Auriella stared at the mansion in complete awe, both of them rooted to the spot. Blaze tried to look unaffected by it, but Hailley could see that she kept sneaking glances at it with a look of slight shock. Conrad laughed at the three girls he had accompanied, nudging Nikolas and Chris.

"They act like they've never seen Hailley's place," Conrad commented, unphased.

"Hail's is nothing compared to this place!" Blaze grabbed his hand, holding on. "Rich white people..."

Hailley inspected the house, feeling as though it was slightly familiar. Hadn't she been down this street not too long ago? "It's just a house."

"A house, she says," Chris scoffed, smiling at his sister who shrugged.

"Nikolas!"

"Alessandro!"

The boy from the morning walk rushed out of the door, jumping on Nick, practically knocking him to the ground. The two boys kept thumping each other on the back, their grins stretching from ear to ear.

Hailley inhaled sharply, sucking in air and holding her breath. Torrence glanced at her from the corner of her eye, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Breathe," the blue-eyed girl commanded.

The brunette drew oxygen in, feeding her lungs. What was wrong with her? "Oh," she sighed.

"Are you okay?" Torrie asked her, her eyes glued to the banter of the long-time friends. She was attempting to not draw attention to Hailley.

"I just... I don't know. I haven't been sleeping very well."

"If you're sure..."

"Nick!" A girl stepped out of the door, appearing where Alessandro had been. She was tall and slim, with pale skin and beautiful red hair. Hailley turned to look at her now, taking her in.

"Kearney, wow. You look great!" Nick exclaimed, running up the stairs to embrace her. "I'm surprised Aidrian lets you anywhere out of his sight!"

"I admit, he does have issues," Kearney laughed in agreement.

Nick turned back to the group waiting awkwardly behind him, both his arms around his friends—the two very different siblings, Hailley supposed. "Guys, this is Alessandro, and his sister Kearney." He then proceeded to name each of the group in turn. When Nick said Hailley's name, she could have sworn that Alessandro had winked at her.

She smirked, biting the inside of her cheek. He remembered her, which meant that he remembered her sad and embarrassing meeting with him. Why did this have to be Nikolas's friend?

"Well, come on in!" Kearney exclaimed cheerfully. Hailley took a step closer to her, and she ended up gasping. The girl's eyes were two different colors! The color difference was so amazing—bright green and sparkling blue.

"When I was younger, I always begged my mother to have the same eyes as Kearney," Alessandro whispered, coming up beside her as they followed the hostess.

The front foyer was huge, the ceiling high above Hailley's head. Before her was a large staircase, grand for the old days of fabulous Hollywood parties where the hostess would glide down, becoming the center of attention. A warmth enveloped her. She wanted a staircase just like that when she was on her own.

Hailley slowly let her gaze move on from that staircase to Alessandro's eyes. Another sort of warmth overwhelmed her. His eyes were perfect the way they were—like the gray of a coming storm. "What would she tell you in return?"

Alessandro shrugged, a well of sorrow pooling into those eyes of his. "She always asked me why I didn't want to share her eyes."

"I... I'm sorry for your loss," Hailley croaked, seeing the pain of his loss everywhere.

"It's okay," he told her, managing a small smile.

Hailley nodded, but a pain tore at her. She wanted a mother so much. Even if she lost her mother, she wanted the opportunity to mourn her.

"Why do you look so sad?" Alessandro whispered, looking concerned for her. She shook her head, unable to answer.

"Andro, where's your aunt?" Nikolas called out. "You have to meet her. She's so cool," he continued to tell the group.

Hailley watched them. What was wrong with her? She should have been happy, vibrant, chatty. She should have been sociable. Instead, she was standing in a corner, talking to this boy, feeling sorry for herself.

"Hailley?"

"I haven't been sleeping well." She grinned, shrugging her shoulders as if she wasn't in agony inside her heart.

"Still on those morning walks?"

"No."

She stared at him, confused. He was cute, and he seemed interesting, but their was a dull connection between them. It was as though something was telling her to stay away from him. She wasn't crushing; that she could definitely feel.

Alessandro placed his warm hand on her arm, still concerned. "Are you sure you're okay? You look..."

"I look...?" She prompted, curious as to what he thought.

"Haunted," he finished, frowning with his lame description.

"What are you talking about?" She laughed shrilly—fakely--and flipped her hair with her hand. She gave him a look before walking away, leaving him only a few feet behind.

It didn't make her feel good about herself, lying to Alessandro, lying to herself, but she'd get over it.

She frowned as she bounced on over to Blaze. Alessandro was making her feel terrible about herself. _She hated that._

Blaze slung her arm around Hailley's shoulders, hugging her tight. Alessandro came over to join them only seconds later.

Nick grinned at his friend. "Sorry that the others couldn't make it, man. I know they tried."

Andro shrugged, smiling as well. "I understand. It was short notice."

"Hey, we should go out tonight! Head to a club and hang," Auriella suggested, beaming wide.

What the hell was up with everybody being so happy? Wasn't this guy's mom dead, and they were laughing and giggling. Didn't anybody realize how serious that was?

There was a group consensus, though. They were all going out to party.

**Next Up: The mask in all its glory...**


	12. A Compulsion Best Not Resisted

**AN: Sorry for the short chapter. There will be longer ones coming up in the future!!!**

**Part Four: The Lioness Mask**

**Chapter Eleven: A Compulsion Best Not Resisted**

Hailley stood in front of her full-length mirror, looking herself over with complete satisfaction. Her brunette locks lay in glossy curls along her collarbone, sparkling with glitter spray. Green eyes were defined by brown liner, lips brought to life by nude gloss. She was wearing a short, plaid skirt over her bare and tanned legs, a lacy black cami hugging her torso, and pink heels to to match the color of her skirt. Placing her hands on her hips, she twisted and turned, glancing at herself from as many angles as possible.

Hot indeed. No boy could resist her tonight.

No... Something was missing. She continued staring at herself, eyes narrowing in thoughtful scrutiny. What was it, though? Her glossy lips pursed.

An idea hit her, and a soft giggle bubbled from between her lips. She wouldn't actually wear it to the club... But what harm was there in merely trying it on in the comfort of her own room?

Hailley looked over her shoulder at the case on her nightstand, and as though she were answering its sweet call, she slowly walked over to it. Her fingers grasped the edges; the lid was pushed up to expose her prize. She couldn't help her gasp. It was so beautiful, her mask. A shiver ran through her body as she picked the mask gently up, trying to suppress the urge to _embrace_ said object. It was a hard urge to ignore, though.

She brought it up to her face, wondering how this was going to work. How could a mask as old as this possibly fit her face? She closed her eyes as the piece came closer, and she experienced a brief jolt—her heart speeding up, her breath catching—as she felt a momentary spark of claustrophobia. It was like being submerged in a pool of water without taking a deep breath first. Her lids opened wide as the mask and her skin touched. She was being crazy, acting like this over an old ornament.

Moving her hands from her face, she waited for the mask to fall, but it seemed to fit perfectly. She smiled in pleasure, rushing back to the mirror to see what she looked like.

It was incredible. Her mask was seamlessly locked on her face, a perfect fit. She looked fierce. Too bad Planet Bang didn't have masquerades. She could see what she would wear. Didn't Egyptians wear those thin, white cotton dresses? See through. Revealing. Her body was made to be viewed at. She tilted her chin, her fingers tugging at her top, pulling it up some to reveal her long torso. Her hands rested against her flat stomach.

Where was her ride? She wanted to go out, wanted to party.

She closed her eyes, being consumed by the darkness, the pads of her fingers pressing against her face. The lioness face covering her own felt so real. In no rush, her eyes drifted open, and the reflection she saw in the mirror was her own. No beautiful, ornamental mask. Just Hailley. But... It wasn't "Just Hailley". She was...

"Fierce." She had only meant to think it, but hearing her own words had a strange effect on her. "How..."

But the reflection changed, and it was only herself again, still playing dress up.

"I'm crazy," she said to herself, taking the mask off and cradling it to herself gently. "That's the only way to describe _that_."

She stared at herself, wide-eyed. For a brief second there, she had looked... Wicked, alive, glowing. Her brows drew together as he glance moved to the lioness mask.

_I can't wait to party_, she thought absently, putting her precious antique away.

Honking sounded outside. A grin spread across her lips as she did one last make up check before running out. Excitement and danger buzzed through her.

Blaze and Conrad were waiting for her. She slid into the backseat, smiling at them. "You guys ready for a wild night?"

Blaze matched her grin. "You know I'm always down."

**Next Up: Hailley really does have one wild night...**


	13. Rockstar

**Part Four: The Lioness Mask**

**Chapter Twelve: Rockstar**

Torrence and Auriella were already on the dance floor, forgetting everyone around them as they danced. Hailley spotted them immediately as she followed her friends inside the club. Maybe it was because she hadn't noticed in the few months they had known each other, but there were so many things different about how each girl moved. Torrence twisted with a passion both fierce and tempting—mostly due to her unconventional dance training. On the other hand, Hailley could now see that Ella did not dance with the same kind of swagger, but with more class than the girls of the present; she was so much more quiet and subdued.

"What are you looking at?"

Alessandro's warm voice made her smile. With reluctance, her eyes moved away from the girls t the boy who stood slightly behind her. "Oh, girls turn me on," she said in a carefree tone. Where _in hell_ had that come from?

His black brows quirked in interest, his smile easy and wide as he regarded her. "I should have guessed!"

She laughed at that, finding his exclamation amusing. Grabbing him by the wrist, she pulled him out to the floor. "Subtle, huh?"

"Quite." He began to frown, however, as her arms were thrown over her head, her hips shaking to the beat. Alessandro stared at her, standing awkwardly lame. "I can't dance, Hailley."

"What?" She called over the music, her body still keeping time. Glancing around her, she pushed at minds.

_Watch me._

People turned, slowly at first.

_Watch._

They did.

Alessandro's mouth pressed against her ear as he repeated, "I can't dance."

Laughing,Hailley pressed her hands against her companion's chest, dancing close enough to him without being all on him. She tilted her head, the better to let her words be heard. "Just stay close to me. I got you."

He nodded, still unsure. "Why are they all watching us?"

With a slick smile, Hailley glanced at the adoring faces. Somewhere, deep within herself, she felt the stirrings of something wrong. Why had she used her power against these people?

Shrugging, she continued to put on a show, practically using the boy as a pole for her entertainment—and those watching, of course. Alessandro remained stiff, uncomfortable, shifting on his legs uncomfortably.

"Hailley!" Torrence pulled at her, stopping the performance. The stares of manipulated folks became animated, and Hailley's moment died away.

"What?" She questioned the girl in annoyance. Alessandro stepped back, quickly escaping to Nikolas's side.

Regarding her carefully, Torrence released her grip. "You manipulated those people."

"Yeah?" Her word came out as a question, as she wondered why this was important to keep her from dancing. What did it really matter if she had?

Torrence blinked at her, head tilted as if she wanted to say something besides what came out of her mouth. "You shouldn't do that, Hailley," she admonished, but somehow...

Hailley _really_ didn't care what Torrie had to say. She didn't voice her feelings on the matter, though. Simply, she smiled in reassurance. "I just got carried away with myself."

_Now, go dance with Nikolas. Forget me for the night._ Hailley pushed the thought at her friend. Torrence blinked rapidly, and for a moment, Hailley thought she had failed again as she had with Alessandro. With a shrug, Torrence smiled in a way that left chills in the manipulator's gut before she walked over to her foster brother.

_What... That wasn't..._

Biting on her lip, the brunette's eyes followed her friend,wondering what she had done. _Maybe I pushed her too hard. That was _not_ Torrence._

Not dwelling on the matter long—not with the good mood she was in—Hailley moved on to her next partner. He was older than her, and incredibly good-looking, which helped soothe her when his hands began roaming along her body. She moved in closer to him. The shift encouraged him to become bolder. The last she remembered were his lips on hers, wet and slobbery, but she allowed it.

**xXxXxXxXx**

_The sun and moon._

_The desert heat._

_She was on her hands and knees, buried in warm, golden sand. Clutching it, her eyes darted about wildly, searching for the attacking animal. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the woman from her other dreams._

_Silently screaming, the woman tried to break free from her spot, her warning obviously not reaching the girl's intended ears. Hailley turned to completely look at her, rising up on her knees, dazzled by her blinding beauty to the point where she nearly missed what was holding her back._

_Behind her, through the light, Hailley saw a creature she couldn't even name. The body of a woman, claws digging into the bright one's arms, and peeking at Hailley were yellow eyes—the eyes of a cat, of a beast._

_Snarling, the beast opened her mouth, revealing the rows of glistening teeth._

Hailley screamed.

And screamed. Her body and arms flailed as she struggled to wake herself up. Hands touched her, warm and strong. Her eyes popped open instantly, her vision blurred.

"Hailley?" Blaze's soothing voice washed over the terrified girl.

It was okay. She was okay.

Blaze's face came into clear focus, and Hailley sighed, grabbing at her and clinging tightly as she struggled to wipe the recent images from her mind.

"Another nightmare?"

Hailley nodded in confirmation.

Blaze softly pet the tangled chestnut brown hair of her friend's, trying to comfort her. "Maybe something is going on with you," the older girl murmured, finally admitting it.

"Why do you think so now?"

"Because... Wow, Hailley, if I didn't know you better... I would have thought you were drunk with the way you were acting last night. Making out with older guys, hitting on Nikolas—"

"I... What?" Hailley pulled back from the embrace, sharply staring at her best friend.

"You hit on Nick last night. Before Conrad drove us back to my place. And... Well, I think Torrence was pissed at you, girl. She wouldn't even look at you or anything," Blaze told her, staring back with equal force.

"I don't remember any of that..." Hailley muttered. What the hell...?

**Up Next: Um... Actually... I'm not sure... This is how far I've gotten done, and I'm not sure what's next.... How about it's a surprise for all of us!? :D**


	14. Growing Concerns

**AN: ... I know. I know. Forgive me?**

**Part Five: Chaos**

**Chapter Thirteen: Growing Concerns**

"I just don't understand how you can _forget_ something like that," Blaze muttered, patting her own head gently.

Hailley sighed loudly. "Look, how would I know?" She leaned forward on the bed, staring at Blaze. "I don't remember hitting on Nick."

"You were practically humping his leg..."

"That sounds worse than hitting on him!" Hailley yelled in outrage, slapping her hands against her face. The sting of flesh on flesh hurt, but not as much as the burning shame and confusion growing within her.

"It wasn't..." The other girl's voice trailed off at the dark look Hailley was giving her.

"Nothing _happened_, though, right?"

Blaze shook her head, her frown marring her pretty face. "No, nothing really happened. You didn't accept a drink from anyone you didn't know, right? Tell me you didn't, Hail."

"What? Of course not!" With an anguished moan, she fell back on the bed, her hands covering her face. "How could this have happened?"

"I don't know. Maybe you were slipped something."

Hailley sighed. She had been making out with people, right? Maybe that was it. They... Slipped drugs into her mouth from theirs? The idea sounded ridiculous and stupid.

"In any case, it's over and done with, so there isn't any point in worrying over it."

"Easy for you to say. You didn't lose a whole night!"

Blaze shrugged, but the look on her face told her friend that she wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"You also—"

"Hailley, it's okay. I'm sure nobody is even really going to mention it," Blaze reassured her.

Hailley remained unconvinced. Her memory loss plagued her the whole day, and no matter what her best friend did, the mood the sassy brunette had placed herself in refused to lift. Occasionally, the girl would rub her temples, trying to recall the night before.

She remembered...

That creep she had been attracted to (a thought that made her question her sanity).

She remembered...

Using Alessandro (a thought that made her wince).

She remembered...

Manipulating Torrence (a thought that made her feel like a complete piece of shit).

What else?

"You are going to drive yourself crazy." Blaze looked at Hailley from across the table, catching her, for about the millionth time, twist her face in deep thought.

"I'm already crazy," Hailley countered miserably.

"Not nearly."

With a smile, Hailley glanced at her friend, shaking her head slowly. "What makes you so sure?"

"I judge all crazies based on my Tymmie System," Blaze answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

That made her smile broadly, trying to imagine the type of scale Blaze had thought of since their world had turned upside down, especially if Tymmie was the starting standard.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Hailley!"

Hailley popped into the kitchen the moment she walked through the front door of her house, having just been dropped off by Mr. Mitchells, who swore over and over that he was going to teach his daughter to drive so that he "wouldn't be a taxi cab for any of his children and their friends anymore", cheekily nudging Hailley and asking for fare. "Yes?" Her head peeked around the corner to find her father.

Derek smiled at her. "Welcome home. I hope you plan on staying home tonight."

"Why, anything special planned?"

"Just dinner and a movie." His smile was bright, and she couldn't help but smile back at him.

"It's a date, then, Dad," she replied happily, hoping to push last night from her mind, or thoughts about what happened last night.

"Good. Are you going to make me make this meal by myself, or are you going to give your old man a hand?"

"You're not old!" She called out, already sprinting up the stairs. Her shoes pounded against the wood. "Just let me change!"

Once in her room, she stripped her tank-top off in favor of one of her favorite comfortable shirts: one that used to belong to her father before she stole it from his laundry. After slipping out of her shoes, she headed for her dresser to grab a hair tie, pulling her hair back away from her face.

"I have the potatoes waiting for you!" Her father's voice carried up the stairwell.

She spotted the mask the, outside of its ornate box. It lay on her bed, out in the open. Stopping, Hailley stared at it in wonder. She could have sworn that she put it back. It was too careless of her to just leave it out in the open like this, where Derek could see it. Unless he was the one who did this.

_Does Dad know I bought this? I thought I would have plenty of time to get the money back on the card before he realized anything was wrong..._

Slowly, she made her way over to it. No it, couldn't have been her father. Derek didn't beat around the bush like this and play mind games. If Hailley did something wrong, he would have immediately come to talk to her about it.

Her fingers brushed against the object, sending shocks through her hand that traveled up her arm and spread along her nerves.

Without another sane thought, Hailley picked the lioness mask up and pressed it against her face, breathing in tantalizing scents, her body warming up as if she were lounging in the sunlight.

**xXxXxXxXx**

She didn't remember dressing or running out of the house, but she did remember the cab and how the driver kept staring at her from the rear view mirror.

**xXxXxXxXx**

The music pumped through her, and for a moment, she stilled, surveying her surroundings.

_Where am I?_

"Baby, don't stop," a silky voice whispered in her ear.

**xXxXxXxXx**

She held her head tightly, sand clinging to her cheeks and hair. It was in her mouth, and as she quickly sat up to spit it out, her head spun. Leaning over without thinking, she opened her mouth to vomit the contents of her aching stomach up. Her mouth tasted like equals parts alcohol, sand, and stomach acid. She gagged again. The emerging daylight hurt her eyes, and she had to squint in order to partially see.

"How the hell did I end up here?"

In her hand, fingers gripped tight, was the mask. She stared down into the other face. How could she have been so reckless for doing that, bringing her priceless artifact with her?

Hailley sat on the beach a little longer, letting her head and stomach settle. She needed to find a road or a pay phone to find out where she was. Apparently, she had left her cell at home, which was completely unlike herself. What was going on with her?

"Hailley!"

She winced. Someone was out here? Someone who could recognize her? That was just _perfect_.

"Keep your voice down," Hailley croaked, her throat dry and itchy. Inclining her head, she squinted up at the intruder.

_Fuck me_.

She grew red in anger and embarrassment. "What are you doing out here?"

"I felt like going for a walk on the beach," Alessandro squatted beside her, and she silently thanked him for that. It was really starting to hurt, looking up. "Question is, what are you doing out here?"

Hailley remained silent, closing her eyes to give herself a reprieve from the light. She honestly didn't know. "I feel so sick," she moaned pitifully.

Alessandro placed his hand on her back, rubbing slowly. "You're lucky I found you. Come on."

"Where?" He helped her to her feet, his arm wrapping tightly around her waist to keep her steady.

"To my aunt's house. It's not far."

She leaned against him, biting down on her lip to keep from throwing up again.

**Next Up: ???**


	15. Only a Fashion Accessory

**AN: Yup! An update! **

**Part Five: Chaos**

**Chapter Fourteen: Only a Fashion Accessory**

* * *

Alessandro set her up with some clothes, borrowed from his sister, by shoving them into her arms and guiding her to the shower in the bathroom that connected to his room. She glanced back at him with a despairing look.

"What?"

She fidgeted, digging her fingers into the clothes, blinking at him. "I really need to brush my teeth."

"I do own a toothbrush," he said to her, eyebrow raising as he nodded toward the sink.

"Ew. It's been in your mouth!" Hailley screeched, pulling out an indignant look despite her present condition.

"We'll both live, trust me." Alessandro laughed, closing the door behind him. "I'll go make some coffee."

Hailley placed the clothes on the sink counter, the mask placed gently on top of the clothes. Her reflection in the mirror told a terrifying tale. Her hair was clumped together and gritty from the sand. Thankfully, her face was free from run-down makeup, but not from dirt and sand. Was she rolling around on the beach? Worst of all was her... What could she even call it?

Where had she found this dress? With her thumb and forefinger, she pinched at the flimsy, cream-colored nightgown. A nightgown? She didn't own frilly, useless things like this.

She groaned in despair. Now wonder Alessandro had trouble looking at her, his eyes continuously shifting away from her so that they wouldn't roam her body.

_No bra._

"Ohh..." _When will my nightmare end?_

As the water from the shower head washed over her, she began to remember snippets of... Nothing in particular. A man, the man who told her not to stop. How he tasted like the dark, and how his voice reminded her of things long since past. Even now, not knowing who he was, not knowing anymore about him, she craved for him. A strange and longing crave that burned her body.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Alessandro smiled at her as they sipped coffee on the back porch of his Aunt Celeste's house. The sun was still coming up slowly into the sky, causing the water to sparkle like diamonds. The borrowed clothes fit comfortably, and Hailley sat with her legs tucked neatly beneath her, eyes adverting from the blinding light.

"Feeling better?"

She shrugged. "Coffee is doing wonders."

Silence enveloped them. She turned her head slightly, watching him from the corner of her eyes. He was turned towards her, not hiding the fact that he was staring straight at her.

"Want to tell me what happened?" He asked, his voice soft and plying.

"I wish that I knew," she admitted sadly, sipping the hot liquid. "What time is it?"

"Almost six."

"My dad is going to kill me." She let her head roll back, her eyes closing. "I've never done anything like this before."

"Strangely enough, I believe you. You're such a good-girl type."

Scoffing, she wondered where in hell he had gotten that idea. She worked hard on her image. "That is _far_ from what people actually think of me." she whispered softly, her eyes still closed against the light.

"People will think what they will."

"True." A smile stretched across her mouth, and she snorted. "Then again, I don't exactly try to get people to believe differently."

She heard him shift in his chair, but she just couldn't bear to open her eyes to see what he was doing.

"Do you do these things often? Party until you're a fool?"

Hailley's lips parted, but all words fled from her mind. Her hands twitched. Her eyes snapped open as she swung her head around to meet his eyes. "I don't even know what happened to me!" Her voice was shrill, full of panic and uncertainty. "I..." Her brows furrowed.

"You?"

She stared down into her lap. The mask. Hadn't she put the mask on? Was that how it came to be with her?

"I need to go..." She stood up on legs that ached with exhaustion, her head still swimming from lack of nourishment and way too much alcohol consumption.

"Go where?"

She wanted to say home. She wanted to apologize to her father, she wanted to lock herself in her room and pretend she just wasn't who she was meant to be. Her fingers stroked the amulet hanging from her neck. Never before had she felt any great need to feel comforted by a piece of jewelry, but then again... This was just jewelry, just a fashion accessory. This was _her life, her destiny._

"There's this antique shop..." She shook her head, clutching the mask to her. "I need to go!"

Merely touching it was driving her crazy. The sensations flowing through her were electrifying. Why hadn't she noticed the feelings while she was just talking to Alessandro?

He blocked her path back inside. They stared at each other, her shivering, him calm. Both confused. "You're in no condition to leave."

"I have to. Get out of my way."

"Hailley, you need to sleep. Actually sleep, not pass out from alcohol on a beach."

"Why aren't you listening to me?" She screamed at him, stomping her foot in annoyance.

"Well, why aren't you listening to _me_?"

"Why do you even care?"

Alessandro reached out, snatching the mask from her hands and holding it up. It glittered in the light. Hailley's eyes immediately focused in on it, and she reached out to snatch it back.

"Give me that!"

With a grin, he moved it out of her reach, her slim fingers only grazing the artifact. "What are you carrying around this for?"

"I don't want you to touch it," she said, jumping up to reach for it again. "It's old and priceless."

"But you can take it to go drinking?"

She growled, growing more and more frustrated. His eyes widened significantly, muscles in his face twitching. _Fear_. She could smell the instantaneous fear. "Give. It. Back."

He did.

"Move."

Again, he did.

"Hailley..."

She walked past hi, her head down as she hurriedly carried herself from the house.

What had she done that was so frightful?

**xXxXxXxXx**

Hailley pressed herself into the plastic bus seat, trying to make herself invisible. A tiny headache had sparked in her temple. She didn't have any change, so she had to manipulate the driver, the people behind her, and those sitting at the front of the bus into thinking she had paid the fare, so perhaps that was the cause to her newest pain.

_Mater Luna, ignoscis me._*

The shocks still electrified her, not once lessening in the time she had been holding it. She should have put it down. Part of her knew that. That part was slowly fading away though, and it was way too hard to just trash such a thing of old beauty.

_I'll just go to that store and ask the owner the history of the mask. He was a really good guy who seemed to know a lot. He _has_ to help me. Has to..._

She rubbed her temple slowly. What a strange and awful mess.

Eventually, her stop came up, and she scrambled to pull the cord, the ding that signaled her desire to stop resonating in her ears. The sun assaulted her once she left the cool box of a bus, and she dreaded the three block walk to the street the store was on. Her head was pounding dangerously, the effects of one cup of coffee wearing off.

Even when she found the street, it took her forever to find the store. She walked up and down the street for what seemed like an eternity, nudging people to ignore her, the pain in her skull near explosive.

The bells on the door blinded her. Behind the counter, an old man eyed her curiously. "Can I help you, miss?"

Licking her chapped lips, she moved closer to the man, the mask softly clacking down on the wooden counter. "I need to speak with your owner."

He glanced at the mask then back at her. "I am the owner of this establishment, miss." He smiled.

She reeled with the unexpected words. "What?"

"I am the owner and operator of this store. My daughter sometimes comes in to assist, but it's usually just me here."

"No, you see. I came here not long ago and purchased this"—she tapped the mask with a manicured finger—"from the other man who works here. A very dark man. He's tall and has this odd accent."

"I'm sorry, miss," the old man said, and she sighed, hoping he was apologizing for forgetting this man that he employed. "I don't have any other employees, and I have never seen this item before." He went to reach for it, but Hailley grabbed it quickly and ran out of the store in horror.

* * *

_***Mother Moon, forgive me.**_

**Up Next: ... One of these days, I really will have a preview for you all. ... I swe—A butterfly! :DD -chases!-**


	16. You Will Suck the Life Outta Me

**AN: I'm really sorry, guys. I've just run out of inspiration for everything I've been writing. Call this my official note of slowatus. Some stories will be discontinued, unfortunately, since I've lost whatever magic I had for them. I'm going to continue with Pearl Drops and I hope to complete it. It's been going on for five years now, and that's really a long time. **

**Part Five: Chaos**

**Chapter Fifteen: You Will Suck the Life Outta Me**

Derek was silent. That was never a good sign. He just stared at her, also a very bad sign. Hailley parted her lips in silence, opening her mouth as she thought of something logical to say in explanation. Nothing was logical about this.

Nothing at all.

"Dad..."

"Hailley, are you having a problem? I... I would rather believe that this is Daughter related than you were involved in drugs or—"

"Dad!" She jumped up, a hurt and wounded look twisting her features. Drugs, really? All of this had come down to drugs?

Her wounded look was mirrored on his face. He was just as hurt, just as upset and confused as her. He stood up as well, grabbing her into a hug. She let him crush her to him, nearly sobbing into the warmth of his fatherly embrace.

"It's not easy being the parent of a goddess." Derek smoothed back her hair. "I worry that one day you won't come home..."

Hailley's mouth went dry. She had never thought about it, the day when she would turn seventeen. She had never thought about anything that dealt with being a Daughter. How could she just leave her dad?

"I'll come home, Dad. I'll come home. I'll forget everything, I promise."

"I know..." But his voice was so sad, she just couldn't handle it. She knew that he didn't know. He thought that she probably wouldn't.

She was afraid...

Because sometimes, Daughters didn't come back home to their fathers before their time even came. Jimena had said so only once, but it stayed with Hailley.

Derek didn't punish her for the night before, and she didn't tell him about had happened. He thought it was because of her goddess status, and she just _didn't know_.

Sitting on her bed, she fiddled with her cell phone. Resting against her thigh was the mask, perfectly settled in its ancient case. She should call someone. She _needed_ to call someone. Blaze, maybe? Or maybe Torrence. Torrie could see... Maybe... Perhaps she just really needed Jimena right now.

She groaned to herself. There was no "perhaps" about this. She needed her mentor.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Hailley didn't even bother to call Jimena. She would just show up. Show up and throw herself at the older woman and cry and beg and explain how damn _terrified_ she was, and why wouldn't she believe Hailley about her nightmares? And why was she still carrying the mask around with her?

How did that happen? She had left it! She was sure of it!

Chest heaving, Hailley stared at it. She could _not_ believe ridiculously close was to tears right now. She stood outside of the Killingsworth house, gripping the source of her horror in her hands so tight. Her fingers hurt so bad...

"Ji-Jimena!" She tripped her way up to the front door. Her own body was rebelling against her. It wanted to go. It didn't want to be here. She screamed her mentor's name again.

The door was beginning to open. Collin. Jimena's husband. "Hailley?" He asked her name in confusion.

"Y-yes," she answered meekly. Why was he giving her that look?

"Hailley, why are you wearing that mask?"

"What?" Had she asked the question out loud, or was it only in her head? She was just clutching the thing. When had she touched it to her face? Her hand laid flat against it, but she could only feel her own skin. "What?" She asked again, and though she was perfectly shaken on the inside, her voice was controlled, calm.

"Do you need me to call your father, Hailley?"

Jimena wasn't even home, was she? He would have offered to get her before offering to call Derek. She couldn't be helped.

Collin stepped outside, reaching for her. She took a step back, her body reacting against her mind. He gave her a quizzical look, and she hoped that he could see her dismay. She wanted to say something, but instead she lifted her hand in a wave. The words that tumbled from her lips were not the ones that she wished to say.

"No, that's okay. I don't even know why I'm here, actually." She laughed and shook her head. "Tell Jimena I said hi, okay?"

**xXxXxXxXx**

Hailley woke up in the park this time around. It was dark still. Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket (thankfully she was still clothed, still had her phone), she saw that it was three in the morning. Her cheeks warmed in streaks, and she realized that she was finally crying. A beep echoed in her ears. There was a message in her voicemail. Or, messages really.

_What's happening to me?_

She punched in her voicemail number, entered her code, and waited to see what this would be about. Her eyes closed.

"_What the fuck is wrong with you, Hail? Are you insane? How... Where the hell are you?! Did you think that we wouldn't find out when you decided to crash a Follower party? You're lucky Ariel was lurking around, though who knows why the hell _she_ was." _Blaze's voice came out in a rush of anger, each word pronounced with a near-murderous intent.

_Beep._

"_Hailley..." _Auriella's voice was soft, sleepy, and there was a quick pause. _"You're not going to tell anyone what you saw, right? I mean, why were you sneaking into my room through my window? Please... Look... Just don't tell... Can we talk about this?"_

_Beep._

"_Hailley, just wanted to let you know that I'm not angry for the intrusion on my control. We need to talk. Don't do this on your own; it's not like you,"_ Torrence reminded her, sounding completely calm. How Hailley envied her. Where was the old Torrence, who didn't have to struggle with visions?

_Beep._

"_Collin called me. You haven't come home. Do I need to ground you? Would it even work?"_

_Beep._

"_Hey, it's Alessandro. I, uh, got your number from Nikolas. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I don't know why, but I keep getting this feeling that I need to help you. Please call me, okay?"_

Hailley deleted the messages, her phone feeling more like a rock in her hand, cold and heavy. If she went to a Follower party, and that Daughter of Mischief had to rescue her, how did she get away?

"The mask..." She muttered to herself. "It's possessing me."

There. She finally admitted it.

She needed help. Finding the number on her phone, she held back the urge to cry again.

"Hello?"

"How can you help me?"

Hailley had come to the conclusion that Alessandro was really a great guy.

Or that he was an incredibly creepy idiot who was going to destroy her.


End file.
